2011 Toyota Prius Exterior Lighting Problems
- 41
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 41 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- beam headlights · 6 records
- passenger side · 6 records
- both headlights · 5 records
- high beams · 5 records
- both beam · 4 records
- side headlight · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 16 |
| 30–60k mi | 8 |
| 1–30k mi | 6 |
| 100–150k mi | 3 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. While driving at various speeds, the low beam headlights failed. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the headlight wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
ODI 10849787
Exterior Lighting
Both main headlamps have burnt out regularly for ~2.5 years. It seems to be getting more frequent. Luckily i can buy the part and install it myself, but to actually go to a mechanic and check the electric wiring is a different amount of time and money entirely.
ODI 10969193
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. While driving various speeds at night, the front driver side headlight became inoperable. On another occasion, the front passenger side headlight also failed without warning. The dealer recommended that both bulbs be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two years later where both headlights failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
ODI 10927167
Exterior Lighting
Driving in rain in dark on unlit road. Both front headlights went out. Nothing would make them come back on - turning lights off and on, turning car off and on. Very scary. Very close to driving off road into ditch. This must be a recall. Toyota as usual will deny the problem so the nhtsa must act. *tr
ODI 10608204
Exterior Lighting
Toyota prius 3 headlights quit working on low beam without any indication upon starting car. It appears that if one bulb burns out, both headlights fail to work, possibly due to the other headlight shorting out the working headlight. Each time the lights have worked just a few hours before and when we return to car, they will not turn on.this has occurred approx 3 times now forcing us to drive significant distances…
ODI 10765251
Exterior Lighting
The headlamps burned out on vehicle start-up for the fifth time in 73,451 miles. The headlamp bulbs last an average of 14,700 miles. I wear latex gloves and am critically careful to never touch the bulbs, but the essence of the problem is that the car clearly has a poorly regulated power supply that stresses the bulbs at start-up. My previous 2006 prius ate hid bulbs, so i intentionally purchased a 2011 model…
ODI 10592620
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Wednesday april 30 2014 i went to church, when i came out and got back in my car light was out. They were burning. *tr
ODI 10586089
Exterior Lighting
Since the first set of bulbs have went out in the vehicle at around 48,000 miles i will now be installing the 4th set of bulbs... Original + 3. The bulbs in the prius fail within 24 hours of eachother each time and it is going threw headlights around every 10,000 miles at this time. This is completely unacceptable and dangerous for a commuter vehicle. *tr
ODI 10565610
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota prius. The contact stated that the passenger's side head light suddenly failed as the driver's side headlight became dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 86,000. Updated 04-29-14 *bf…
ODI 10576419
Exterior Lighting
Headlights are weak and require frequent replacement toyota is willing to fix this safety problem for $400 should be recalled and fixed for free manufactures defect and a major safety problem need your help
ODI 11023977
Exterior Lighting
Within 2 years of purchasing new 2011 prius vehicle, both hid headlight lamps failed (on different occasions) within about 3 months of each other. No warranty available, at customer expense. *tr
ODI 10510461
Exterior Lighting
Within 2 years of purchasing new 2011 prius vehicle, hid headlight lamp failed. *tr
ODI 10510462
Exterior Lighting
Simultaneous failure of both low beam headlights. Vehicle was parked and shut down in a parking lot with both headlight low beams operable. Upon return to the vehicle approximately 15 minutes later, neither low beam functioned, requiring an extended night drive with high beams (fully functional). Upon examination the next day, both low beams bulbs were burned out and replaced. Prior to replacement, contact with…
ODI 10493291
Exterior Lighting
High intensity discharge (hid) bulb in front passenger side headlight went out. No explanation for why this occurred; it simply burned out. These bulbs should last a lot longer than 26,000 miles. *tr
ODI 10490549
Electrical · Exterior Lighting
Toyota prius rear tail lights are reflecting sunlight in early morning and late afternoon as the turn signal and brake light cannot be seen, the silver clear lenses are turning into a prism . *tr
ODI 10476948
Exterior Lighting · Visibility
Starting on/about february 1st, 2011, any point source of light (i.e., traffic signal, headlight, taillight) viewed through the front windshield creates an optical effect of multiple images. The effect typically manifests as a triple image when the light is viewed from a distance -- one false image, each above and below the actual light. As the light source is approached, the images converge on the center (actual)…
ODI 10448023
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2011 Toyota Prius.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.